Method of mounting a sealing disc in a cap for a container

ABSTRACT

The method of mounting a sealing disc in a cap of a container having an open neck which consists in providing in the cavity of the cap and on the bottom of the cavity of a disc portion adapted to overlie the outer edge of the neck of the container with the sealing disc between the neck and the disc, constructing the cap with an inner perimetric groove extending outwardly of the disc, providing a plunger constructed with a portion at one end of compressible material with an upper end surface thereof conforming in configuration to the exposed surface of the disc of the cap and spaced laterally about its perimeter from the bottom of the perimetric groove bounded by a perimetric rib, a distance greater than the thickness of the sealing disc, in placing between said cap disc and the denoted end of said plunger a sealing disc blank having a peripheral flange with the peripheral flange about the end of the plunger and forcing the plunger into the cap with sufficient pressure to cause lateral movement of the peripheral flange portion of the sealing disc into the inner perimetric groove and within the perimetric rib of the cap to mount the flange therein and thereby mount the sealing disc in the cap.

United States Patent r 1 1 3,751,787 Porter Aug. 14, 1973 METHOD OF MOUNTING A SEALING DISC Primary Examiner-Charlie T. Moon IN A CAP FOR A CONTAINER [75] Inventor: Alvin ,1. Porter, Minneapolis, Minn. [73] Assignee: Product Design & Engineering, Inc,

Minneapolis, Minn.

[22] Filed: Feb. 1, 1972 [21] App]. No.: 222,536

[52] US. Cl. 29/421 R, 29/522, 113/121 R, 215/40, 222/532, 222/536, 222/568 [51] Int. Cl B235) 17/00 [58] Field of Search 29/453, 522, 523, 29/421 R; 113/121; 215/40; 222/80, 532, 536, 568

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 817,100 4/1906 Bergman 113/121 R UX 859,121 7/1907 Schmidt 215/40 UX 1,969,777 8/1934 Burke 29/523 X 2,200,600 5/1940 Grapp.... 215/40 X 2,254,577 9/1941 Nelson 29/523 UX 2,806,637 9/1957 Wallingford 222/568 X 3,088,616 5/1963 Freda 215/40 3,113,377 12/1963 Oakes.... 29/523 3,568,895 3/1971 Porter 222/536 X v (1 i dlflllly/l Attorney-Jack W. Wicks et a1.

[5 7] AIBSACT The method of mounting a sealing disc in a cap of a container having an open neck which consists in providing in the cavity of the cap and on the bottom of the cavity of a disc portion adapted to overlie the outer edge of the neck of the container with the sealing disc between the neck and the disc, constructing the cap with an inner perimetric groove extending outwardly of the disc, providing a plunger constructed with a portion at one end of compressible material with an upper end surface thereof conforming in configuration to the exposed surface of the disc of the cap and spaced laterally about its perimeter from the bottom of the perimetric groove bounded by a perimetric rib, a distance greater than the thickness of the sealing disc, in placing between said cap disc and the denoted end of said plunger a sealing disc blank having a peripheral flange with the peripheral flange about the end of the plunger and forcing the plunger into the cap with sufficient pressure to cause lateral movement of the peripheral flange portion of the sealing disc into the inner perimetric groove and within the perimetric rib of the cap to mount the flange therein and thereby mount the sealing disc in the cap.

6 Cl, 7 Dru Figures METHOD OF MOUNTING A SEALING DISC IN A CAP FOR A CONTAINER SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to an improvement in a cap for a container and more particularly to a cap having a pivotal tip which when aligned with an outlet hole in the cap allows the flow of material from the cap. More specifically the invention relates to a frangible sealing disc for the neck ofa container and the method of mounting the sealing disc in the cap whereby the cap and disc to gether may be mounted on the neck of a container with the sealing disc caused to adhere to the edge of the neck of the container thereby sealing off the neck to prevent the contents of the container from escaping. To allow contents of the container to be withdrawn the cap tip is pivoted to a position in alignment with the outlet hole and a rod pushed through the tip and outlet hole and forced through the frangible sealing disc and creating a hole therein.

In the drawings forming part of this application:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a container cap in which is embodied the sealing disc.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view thereof.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view on the line 3--3 of FIG. l with an assembly plunger in full position.

FIG. 3A is a sectional view through the end portion of the plunger with the sealing disc in position on the end thereof, the plunger in a position prior to insertion into the cap.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 3 but illustrating the sealing disc in the cap and the cap upon the neck of a bottle.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the liner prior to insertion into the cap.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged detailed partial sectional view illustrating the full inserted position of the assembly plunger relative to the sealing disc and the cap.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the letter C designates a cap for theneck of a container, the cap including a sealing, disc which is the subject of the inventive concept herein disclosed.

The cap C includes the annular wall 10 formed with the internal threads 12 which are engageable with the threads on the neck of a container such as Co. The wall 10 terminates in the reduced upper enclosed cap portion 14 including the annular wall 16 and the top wall 18. Depending from the top wall 18 is the partially annular internal wall 20 formed with a partial socket formation 22 which mounts the ball portion 24 of the pivotal tip 26. The pivotal tip 26 is formed with the passageway 27.

The partial socket formation 22 is completed for mounting the ball portion 24 of the tip 26 by means of the second partial socket formation 28 formed in the upstanding circular lug portion 30 of the disc 32. The lug 30 is formed with the passageway 31 which when aligned with the passageway 27 allows flow of material through the cap provided the sealing disc hereinafter referred to is punctured. The lug portion 30 is formed with the annular groove 34 which is engaged by the annular rib 36 of the lower end of the internal annular wall 20 as the result of a press snap-in action of the disc 32 with the rib 34 thereon.

Formed internally of the upper portion of the wall 10 is the perimetric groove 38 defined by the perimetric shoulder 40 and the perimetric rib 42. When the disc 32 is snapped into place, it engages against and is bottomed out on the shoulder 40. The numeral 44 designates a sealing disc which includes the peripheral flange 47 of a thickness to be frangible and in one suitably workable form is 0.004 of an inch in thickness and made of aluminum. The thickness of the disc is such that it may be easily fractured by pushing a rod through the same to form a hole therein as hereinafter set forth. Additionally, the extent of sealing disc M including the flange is of a diameter greater than the internal diameter of the perimetric rib 42 the function of which will be hereinafter set forth. Further the undersurface 45 of the liner is coated with an adhesive 458.

In assembly of the cap C the disc 32 and the sealing disc are placed on the end of a plunger P on the end of which is secured the compressible end member 45 which in a suitably workable form is rubber. The plunger P is of a diameter slightly less than the inside diameter of the threads 112 of the cap. The cap is placed against an anvil. The plunger is inserted into the cap C with the disc 32 and sealing disc 44 thereon by conventional assembly mechanism not shown until the rib 34 of disc 32 snaps over and is held by rib 36, and in this position the disc 32 bottoms out on the annular shoulder 40 of the cap. The plunger P is then forced further inwardly upon the disc 44 whereby the compressible end 45 of the plunger deforms and spreads radially outwardly under pressure as in FIGS. 3 and 6 whereby the outer flange edge of the sealing disc 44 is forced into the groove 38, and within and under the annular rib 42. The plunger P is then removed. The sealing disc 44 is thus held in place with the peripheral flange portion thereof positioned within the perimetric groove 38 and with the edge of the sealing disc tucked in under and against the rib 42. As a result the sealing disc is held in the cap, whereby the cap with sealing disc may then be screwed onto the neck of a container. In other words, the disc is held in the cap so that it and the cap may next be transported and applied to the neck of a con tainer. With the pressure of the cap upon the sealing disc uponthe edge of the neck of a container the combination is subjected to electrostatic induction which heat seals the adhesive 458 on the underside of the liner to the upper edge of the neck 46 of the container. With the above the cap C may be removed from the neck of the bottle while the sealing disc remains on the neck of the bottle and seals in the contents thereof. The sealing disc M may also be mounted in a cap wherein the cavity of the cap has a bottom similar to the disc 32 but it is formed as part of the cap.

To remove the contents of a container on which the above described cap and sealing disc is mounted, the tip 2k is pivoted to a straight up position with the passageway 27 in axial alignment with the outlet hole 31. A rod is then inserted through the passageways and forced through the disc thereby creating a hole in the disc 34i allowing material in the container to flow outwardly through the hole in the disc and the passageways 31 and 27 and out the tip.

I claim:

ll. The method of mounting a sealing disc in a cap for a container having an open neck, said method residing a. providing said cap with a disc portion adapted to overlie the outer edge of the neck of the container with the cap liner therebetween,

b. constructing the cap with an inner perimetric groove extending outwardly of the disc,

c. providing a plunger constructed with a portion at one end of compressible material with an upper end surface conforming in configuration at one end to the exposed surface of the disc of the cap and spaced laterally about its perimeter from the bottom of the perimetric groove a distance greater than the thickness of the sealing disc,

d. in placing between said disc and the denoted end of said plunger a sealing disc blank having a marginal flange portion protruding outwardly beyond the normal marginal end of the plunger a distance substantially equal to the width of the flange to be formed in the perimetric groove, and

e. forcing the plunger into the cap together with sufficient pressure to cause lateral movement of the marginal portion of the sealing blank into and against the inner perimetric groove of the cap to form a flange therein to mount the sealing disc in the cap.

2. The method according to claim 1 further characterized by:

a. constructing the cap with an inner cylindrical groove of a diameter equal to the diameter of the neck plus substantially twice the thickness of the liner and b. making the plunger at its denoted end of a diameter less than the inner diameter of the cap. 3. The method according to claim 1 further characterized by:

a. making the denoted end of the plunger of rubber. 4. The method according to claim 1 further characterized by:

a. making the sealing disc of frangible material.

5. The method of claim 3 further characterized by: a. making the sealing disc of frangible material.

6. The method of mounting a sealing disc in a cap for a container having an open neck, said method residing force it into the perimetric groove. 

1. The method of mounting a sealing disc in a cap for a container having an open neck, said method residing in: a. providing said cap with a disc portion adapted to overlie the outer edge of the neck of the container with the cap liner therebetween, b. constructing the cap with an inner perimetric groove extending outwardly of the disc, c. providing a plunger constructed with a portion at one end of compressible material with an upper end surface conforming in configuration at one end to the exposed surface of the disc of the cap and spaced laterally about its perimeter from the bottom of the perimetric groove a distance greater than the thickness of the sealing disc, d. in placing between said disc and the denoted end of said plunger a sealing disc blank having a marginal flange portion protruding outwardly beyond the normal marginal end of the plunger a distance substantially equal to the width of the flange to be formed in the perimetric groove, and e. forcing the plunger into the cap together with sufficient pressure to cause lateral movement of the marginal portion of the sealing blank into and against the inner perimetric groove of the cap to form a flange therein to mount the sealing disc in the cap.
 2. The method according to claim 1 further characterized by: a. constructing the cap with an inner cylindrical groove of a diameter equal to the diameter of the neck plus substantially twice the thickness of the liner and b. making the plunger at its denoted end of a diameter less than the inner diameter of the cap.
 3. The method according to claim 1 further characterized by: a. making the denoted end of the plunger of rubber.
 4. The method according to claim 1 further characterized by: a. making the sealing disc of frangible material.
 5. The method of claim 3 further characterized by: a. making the sealing disc of frangible material.
 6. The method of mounting a sealing disc in a cap for a container having an open neck, said method residing in a. providing a cap having a threaded cavity, b. constructing the cap with an inner perimetric groove adjacent the bottom of the cavity, c. providing a plunger constructed with a portion at one end of compressible material, d. providing a sealing disc having a peripheral flange, e. placing the disc on the end of the plunger and forcing the plunger into the cap with sufficient pressure upon the bottom of the cavity to cause lateral movement of the marginal portion of the compressible end upon the flange of the sealing disc and force it into the perimetric groove. 